Lauren
If you’ve ever tried to share a URL on social media or type one into your web browser, you know just how frustrating it can be when the link is several characters long.
Long URLs are hard to type correctly, difficult to track, and sometimes impossible to share. If you are using Twitter or another site that provides character limits, a long URL may not even fit into your Tweet or post.
That’s where URL shorteners come in handy! These services make it easy for you to post URLs, keep track of who visits your links, and drive traffic to your site. Not to mention, they are far more aesthetically pleasing than longer links.
Shortened URLs let your audience know what is in store for them when they click your link and make your brand appear more trustworthy, increasing the likelihood that those who are unfamiliar with your brand will visit your site. Long URLs with seemingly random numbers and letters might seem like spam to your email subscribers and social media followers. A short URL that uses your desired keywords will seem more legitimate.
If you want to make the most of a short character count and help boost your brand familiarity, consider using one of these URL shorteners:
Bitly
Bitly is one of the best URL shorteners available because they recognize just how valuable short links can be for increasing and tracking click-through rates, improving branding, and developing trust. In addition to giving you a short URL, Bitly allows businesses to create branded URLs, which can drive up to 34% more clicks, and they share analytics that brands can use to monitor link engagement.
With top-notch features for both paid and free accounts, it’s no surprise that Bitly is the leading URL shortening service online and is trusted by well-recognized brands like Nike, Amazon, and Disney.
TinyURL
While TinyURL does not have all of the advanced features that other URL shortening providers have to offer, it is one of the best URL shorteners for customizing links, and it is 100% free.
For instance, instead of a URL that is long like https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/sports/football/urban-meyer-nfl-jaguars.html
You could have the same URL formatted like this: https://tinyurl.com/nytjaguars which is 49 characters shorter than the original URL and much easier for a business to share or a consumer to remember.
This is really helpful if you have a URL with a random string of letters and numbers that you want to condense and customize. With a short, customized URL, you will be able to show your audience exactly what they should expect when they click on the link to visit your website.
When you get rid of long, confusing links, you will notice that more people will be willing to click on your URLs.
Rebrandly
Rebrandly allows users to create custom domain names in order to brand, monitor, and share their URLs. This service offers tools to support scalability and collaboration, so as businesses grow, their ability to track clicks and keep track of key link engagement metrics grows, too. True to its name, Rebrandly won’t just shorten your company’s URLs, but it will also provide statistics to help improve SEO and marketing.
Rebrandly offers free accounts and paid accounts for businesses of all sizes and those who need to collaborate as a part of a team.
T2M
With T2M, anyone can shorten their URL with one simple click of a button. T2M also allows businesses to create branded URLs, so your business can use keywords in your URLs. With detailed analytics that allows you to track clicks over time, this is a useful tool for businesses both small and large.
Another advantage of using T2M is that in addition to a short URL, this URL shortening service provides QR codes, which is a nice benefit for businesses that want to get a little more bang for their buck.
T2M offers a basic account which is free after a one-time $5 account verification fee, and they also offer paid accounts that allow from anywhere between 0 and 500,000+ short URLs per month depending on your specific needs.
Whether you have a large enterprise or you have a small mom and pop eCommerce business, using a URL shortening service is a great way to help your brand grow. Try one of these four services today and see the impact on your click-through rates and profitability.
